PhD fellowship - The genomic basis of temperature adaptation across space
Deadline: 17.03.2021
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Nord University
Global challenges demand new insight, innovative solutions and local legitimacy. Nord University is a young university with strong regional ties and a global perspective. We are committed to delivering relevant educational programmes and research, with a focus on blue and green growth, innovation and entrepreneurship, and welfare, health and education. Nord University has 11,000 students and 1,300 employees at nine study locations in central and northern Norway.
Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture (FBA) educates people with the aim of promoting sustainable and innovative development to meet global challenges in food production, climate and environment. The faculty is an international arena for education, research and knowledge dissemination, with employees and students from 25 different countries. The faculty offers a PhD in Aquatic Biosciences. FBA has 900 students and 170 employees in Bodø and Steinkjer. The professional community is organised into the following divisions: Aquaculture, Ecology, Genomics and Animal Science, Production and Welfare.
A 3-year PhD fellowship is available at the Faculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University (Bodø, Norway) from June 2021.
We are offering a PhD position to study the genomic basis of temperature adaptation in the marine snail Littorina saxatilis. Understanding how organisms adapt to their environment at the genomic level is a major goal in evolutionary biology; research on adaptation to local climatic conditions obtains great urgency in times of anthropogenic climate change. L. saxatilis is an emerging model system in evolutionary genomics and very suitable for studying temperature adaptation as it inhabits a large range of climatic environments, which often vary on small spatial scales.
The PhD position will be part of an international project focusing on how temperature adaptation changes across space, e.g. whether the same traits and loci contribute to adaptation to warm temperatures in different geographical locations. Towards this goal, snail sampling across Europe will be combined with experimental and genomic approaches.
The PhD project will aim to:
1. Reveal the genetic basis of temperature adaptation in different locations using temperature experiments followed by QTL mapping.
2. Identify genes associated with temperature adaptation using gene expression analysis.
The project will include some field work and the design and performance of physiological experiments, but the largest part of the work will consist of the analysis of genomic datasets. The PhD student will be part of an international research team and, among other things, acquire skills in fieldwork, experimental design, molecular lab work, bioinformatics, and statistical data analysis. The PhD student is expected to spend several months at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory in Sweden to conduct experiments.
Qualification requirements
The candidate must have obtained an MSc (or equivalent) in evolutionary biology, computational biology, biology or similar, with a grade average of B or better (or equivalent) both for the programme in total and for the master’s thesis.
Enthusiasm about evolutionary research, high motivation to learn new skills and some experience with coding and / or genomic data analysis are crucial requirements. Ideally the candidate will have some experience in one or more of the following areas: Biological field work, experimental work, QTL mapping, RNAseq / gene expression analysis.
Proficiency in oral and written English is essential and knowledge of a Scandinavian language is beneficial for the position. The successful candidate will join the PhD program in Aquatic Biosciences at Nord University and is expected to complete the study within the three-year project period.
The candidate should fulfill the admission requirements and participate in the training component stipulated in the regulations of the PhD program. Application for admission to the program must be submitted within three months after taking up the position. For admission requirements and regulations, see our web page.
We offer
The annual salary for doctoral researchers (code 1017) is set at wage level 54, LR 20, NOK 482.200,- in the Norwegian State Salary Scale. Suitably qualified candidates may be placed in code 1378.
The person who is appointed must abide by the applicable laws, agreements, and directives. The responsibilities and duties associated with the position may change with future reorganization at Nord University.
The public sector workforce is expected to reflect the diversity of the population in general. Nord University therefore encourages qualified candidates with disabilities, gaps in their CV, immigrant backgrounds or different life experience to apply. Nord University practices moderate allocation according to gender quotas in accordance with the Basic Agreement for State Employees.
If applicants indicate they have disabilities or gaps in their CV, their details may be used anonymously for the purposes of governmental annual review.
Contact information
Further information about the position can be obtained by contacting :
Applications must be submitted electronically by 17.03.2021.
The application should include:
Motivation letter outlining the candidate’s suitability for this position, relevant experience and how she/ he will contribute to the successful implementation of the project (maximum 2 pages)
Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications (maximum 3 pages)
Certified copies of academic degree transcripts and any other relevant qualifications
All documents must be uploaded as attachments to the electronic application form.
It is the applicant's responsibility to submit the complete documentation within the deadline.
After the application period has expired a list of applicants will be published. Note that, in special cases, the identity of particular applicants to a position may be made public even when that applicant has requested that their application be processed confidentially. Applicants requesting an exemption from publication of their identity must explain their reasons for doing so in their application. In this case, advance notice will be given in the event of a decision to make any information about the applicant public.
